Life and health

Researchers from the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), a joint centre of the University of Valencia and the CSIC, has analysed the wasted chewing gum bacteria from five different countries. The research, just published in the journal ‘Scientific Reports’, shows that the bacterial load of gum changes in a matter of weeks and that oral bacteria persist surprisingly long enough when gum is in the ground. This research can be applied in forensic medicine or control of contagious diseases.

Juan Nácher, professor of Cell Biology at the University of Valencia (UV), has conducted research on the role of dopamine – a substance in the brain important in behaviours – in a population of immature neurons in the adult brain, which could be involved in some psychiatric disorders, mainly depression. The work, published in the journal ‘Frontiers in Neuroscience’, suggests a new target in the treatment of these conditions.